Second foreign language

The German Section of the Taipei European School offers French or Chinese as a second foreign language. It is not possible to choose another language.

Situation in Klasse 1 - 5

In Klasse 1 to 5 all students of the German Section receive Chinese lessons at three different levels.

Situation in Klasse 6:

At the end of Klasse 5 students and their parents must choose either French or Chinese as a second foreign language. This choice is not completely free, as some guidelines have to be followed.

1. Continuous instruction ensured until first school leaving exams

In order to qualify for enrolment in Secondary School Stage II at the end of Klasse 10, students must meet the requirement that they have been instructed continuously in the second foreign language from Klasse 6 to 10. This poses a problem for those students who leave the German Section before the school leaving exams at the end of Klasse 10, because in Germany they will only be able to go to a Gymnasium (grammar school) that offers Chinese as a second foreign language in their age group. If this is not possible, students will have to study the foreign language taught at their school and they will have to make up for their deficits in that language. The same applies if they change to another German Overseas School. In some federal states it is also possibe to take a test to determine the level of language proficiency (“Sprachfeststellungsprüfung”). For further details, please make enquiries in the respective federal state.

While students of the Realschule (Intermediate Secondary School) can choose Chinese as a foreign language, they will face the difficulty that they can only continue to learn the language in very few schools if they return to Germany before the end of Klasse 10. As a rule, they will then have to choose other compulsory elective subjects and make up for their deficits. Another problem is that if a student chooses Chinese and wants to upgrade to Gymnasium (grammar school) at a later date, this may be a hindrance as the student lacks the compulsory second foreign language.

2. Level of requirements

In contrast to the Federal States, the German Overseas Schools require students to acquire the same level of competence in speaking and writing as in other modern foreign languages. This is virtually impossible to achieve for students who begin with Chinese lessons in Klasse 6 if they have no prior knowledge of the language.

In order to meet the requirements, the German Section makes the stipulation that students have to attend the respective “second language” courses beginning with Klasse 6.

It is therefore only possible to choose Chinese as a second foreign language if continuous instruction in this subject is ensured and if at the same time the required level can be attained. In all other cases, French must be chosen as a second foreign language.

Situation in Klasse 7 - 10

As a rule, students who come to our school after Klasse 6 must enrol for French unless they previously had Chinese as their second foreign language. However, students who had other languages as their second foreign language are compelled to make up for the language they have not learned so far. It is not realistic to catch up on more than two school years.